Process for making margarine



Patented June 25, 1946 rnocass FOR MAKING MARGARINE Joseph Stanley, Chicago, Ill., assignor toIAmerican Lecithin Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio No Drawing. Application November 6, 1941,

Serial No. 417,994 1 10 Claims. (01. 99-123) 2 This invention relates to a process of making being imbibed by the dispersion may also be emmargarine and the emulsifiers to be used therein in the form of anovel imbibition.

. Good margarine should be of fine texture, show no bleeding of the aqueous phase, and it Should not spatter when heated as for example in frying. Various emulsifiers have been proposed to impart these and other advantages to margarine For example, soybean lecithin, and glyceryl monostearate are frequently employed in margarine to secure among other advantages improvements in texture, water retention, and anti-spattering properties.

However, the form in which these emulsifiers are added, the way they are added, and the point in the process at which they are added have a great bearing on their eillcacy to accomplish the endsdesired. Those skilled in the art are aware that a given emulsifier in margarine will have different effects depending on whether said emulsiher is dispersed in the aqueous, oil, or mixed phases.

A common practice is to disperse the emulsiiiers in the warm oils before adding the aqueous phase. A still better process is to disperse the emulsiflers'in the mixed oil and aqueous phases and thenchill and form the margarine into prints in the usual way. In using emulsifiers like lecithin and monoor di-glycerides in margarine it has been found of advantage to disperse these emulsifiers in about an equal weight of edible oil, and then to add 5% to of boiling water to form an imbibition. Such a percentage of water does not separate from the oil mixture,

the aqueous phase, or to'the mixture of oils and aqueous phase. It may even be added to the margarine after chilling in a suitable blender.

The imbibition of water is formed when the lecithin is present alone, when the monoglyceride is present alone, or when the lecithin and monoglycerideare present together. I do not restrictmyoelf to water in making such an imbibition, but may use anysuitable-edible solvent such as ethyl alcohol, fluorine. or even a mixture of such edible solvents. v Other edible solvents capable of ployed.

When such an imbibition is used in margarine iin the usual proportions, namely in concen- 5 trations up to 2% of emulsifiers, it is found that theemulsiiiers have an improved effect in the finished product. For example, the margarine has better moisture retaining properties, better anti-spattering properties, and better smoothness and texture. The imbibition itself is nondeteriorating and readily dispersible making it easier to use. Frequently a! economy in the emulsifier content may be efiected by using it in the form of an imbibition as hereinbefore described.

As an example, a typical margarine productis made by blending edible oils, cultured skim milk, and salt in a churn at a. temperature of about 115 F. Enough of the following imbibition is then added to get an emulsifier concentration in the margarine of between 0.05% and 2%:

Pounds 'Lecithin 150 Monostearate 100 Cottonseed oil 215 Water 35 Total 500 after mixing on appropriate period of time, the margarine is chilled, and printed in the usual way.

By lecithin I comprehend the use of any vegetable, animal, or synthetic phosphatide. In place of monostearate I may use any partial ester of a, polyhydric alcohol and a higher fatty acid con-- taining at least one alcoholic hydroxyl group in any stage in the process of manufacture an aque-' ous imbibition comprising phosphatide.

2. A process for producing .an improved mar garine which comprises incorporating therein at any stage in the process of manufacture an aqueous imbibition comprising a partial ester of a polyhydric alcohol and a higher fatty acid con- 3 taining at least one tree hydroiwl group in the alcohol part of the molecule.

3. A process for producing margarine improved smoothness and texture, and improved anti-spatter and anti-leak properties which comprises mcorporating therein at any stage in the process of manufacture an aqueous imbib'ition of vegetable phosphatide and monoglyceride dispersed in edible oil.

4. A process for producing an improved margarine product of better smoothness and texture, and better anti-spatter and anti-leak properties which comprises incorporating therein at any stage in the process of manufacture a mixture of soybean phosphatide, diglyceride, and edible oil, in which is dispersed from to of water to form an imbibition. M

5. A process for producing an improved margarine which contains up to 2% of phosphatide, and an ester of a polyhydric alcohol and a higher fatty acid containing at least one free hydroxyl group in the alcohol part of the molecule which comprises adding said phosphatide and said ester to the margarine at any stage in the process of manufacture, dissolved in about an equal weight of edible oil and containing 5% to 10% of imbibed water.

6. A process for producing an improved margarine which comprises incorporating therein at any stage in the process of manufacture an edible solvent imbibition of a phosphatide and a partial ester of a polyhydric alcohol and a fatty acid containing at least one free hydroxyl group in the alcohol part or the molecule dispersed in edible oil.

7. A process for producinga margarine product or improved anti-spatter and anti-leak properties comprising adding thereto at any stage in the process of manutacture a small percentage of a solvent imbibition of an ester or a polydric alcohol and a higher fatty acid containing at least one hydroxyl group in the alcohol part 'of the molecule. dispersed in several times its weight or edible 011, said solvent being selected from the class consisting of water, ethyl alcohol and glycerine.

8. A process for producing an improved margarine which comprises incorporating therein at any stage of the process an edible solvent imbibition of phosphatide dispersed in edible oil.

9. A process for producing a margarine product of improved anti-spatter and anti-leak properties comprising adding thereto at any stage in the process of manufacture a small percentage of an edible solvent imbibition of phosphatide dispersed in several times its weight of edible oil, said solvent being selected from the class consisting of water, ethyl alcohol and glycerine.

10. A process for producing an improved margarine which comprises incorporating therein at any stage of the process of manufacture an edible solvent imbibition of a margarine emulsifier selected from the class consisting of phosphatides and partial esters of a polyhydric alcohol and a higher fatty acid containing at least one free hydroxyl group in the alcohol part 01' the molecule.

JOSEPH STANLEY. 

